One full week of September is well behind us already, in fact, it's nearly two weeks now. This kicks off the months of the "bers," which basically signals the start of comfort food season. Our Labor Day weekend was beautiful. Mornings were in the 50s and the daytime highs never made it out of the 70s with low humidity out our way. No complaints here, it was very nearly perfect weather.
Our pumpkin patch is not going to have much of a yield this year, but ironically, this gorgeous big guy is a result of our efforts. Isn't he beautiful? He has the spot of honor in the middle of the kitchen island. I probably need to name him since he'll be with us for an entire season. I do love a large, deep orange pumpkin this time of year.
I've been slowly gathering items for the babies' new house which should be ready in November. We have to order their Heat/A/C unit this week, as well. The rest of the list includes cordless blinds for the seven windows and two doors (we ordered lots of windows on purpose) and valances because with kitties, you don't generally want to hang curtains. Cats are climbers! Below are some quilts that will work nicely in their new giant living space, not that kittens care if there's something pretty to look at. But humans do, and we spend a lot of time with the little goobers!
My precious girls, Georgie and Lacey, are pictured below. Aren't these girls gorgeous? Georgie is about ten years old, and Lacey is nearly five. Both of these girls have lovely temperaments and are most definitely buddies. All of our dogs have loved kitties, which is a must when you do rescue work, and it's mostly feline rescue but you also always have a dog because you love dogs, too.
Have you decorated for Autumn yet? I did. We recently had a long weekend, thanks to Labor Day, so it seemed like the best time to fit it in since work will be getting more hectic as the year goes on. Isn't the card below adorable? My mom made it; nothing cuter than a moose and squirrel who go camping!
Let's talk about the great off-set. I don't know if people actually call it that, but I do. This is where, thanks to climbing inflation, noticeably higher prices have to be off-set somewhere in the budget. Even the most frugal store chains are showing enormous price increases of 33 percent or more when it comes to groceries, at least. There are just two of us to feed, I don't know how large families with low wages afford groceries, or the basics for that matter. Luckily, this is the time of year when our heat and A/C run infrequently. During the "ber" months of September and October, we usually see a large decline in our electric bill that will help off-set grocery prices.
Each spending decision gets sizable consideration - do we NEED this? Is it just something we'll tire of and get rid of later (clutter)? Why are we buying it? I've followed this line of thinking for a while now, and I find that it curbs spending a lot, and also helps avoid additional clutter. Another way to curb spending is to eat the food you buy. That means that you don't go to the grocery store, then ignore that food and get take-out or go out to eat. That really adds up, and it's terrible for your health. If we eat out, it's one of two reasons: we have a gift card OR I've included that meal in our food budget, so that it's not an additional expense.
We use a general budget spreadsheet, nothing fancy, and it's not the detail-oriented type of ledger that you find from frugal bloggers or yoootoobers. But there are a couple of ladies whom I follow faithfully because they provide really good inspiration for frugal living. They are happy in their lives, and they actually enjoy the challenge of living well within and, most of the time, far below a strict budget. They are transparent about their expenses and how they live. There are common threads to their living, and the psychological part of it appeals to me the most. Two takeaways from these ladies that have helped me tremendously: 1. They don't care what others think about them or how they live and 2. They realize that their way of life is not for everyone. These two things are important to bear in mind in all facets of life, not just financial areas.
I'm only going to touch briefly on today's date - September 11. I remember everything about that day twenty years ago - where I was, what I was doing, who brought me the dark and incredibly sad news about what was happening, and how we stayed glued to a television for the next few hours at work, absolutely frozen in space and recognizing that the events unfolding before us would haunt us for the rest of our lives. There's the mantra out there "never forget," and I believe in that mantra. If we forget, we let our guard down, and it will happen again. Getting stuck in the event and drowning in the sorrow of it is not healthy. Moving forward is possible, while still remembering that day and every single feeling that went along with 9-11, feelings that lasted for years and still pay visit to our psyche every now and then.
It's a collected grief among those of us who love our country. I never allow anyone to talk poorly about the United States. We have never claimed to be perfect. But we are free, and we are still the land of opportunity and hope. We shine through the darkest moments, and when we fall down, we get back up and keep going. I love our flag. I love our song. I love our founding principles. We are beautiful, despite many scars, and the makeup of our human landscape is quite stunning if you think about it. Today is a day to remember and to grieve and to honor those whose lives were directly impacted by what happened twenty years ago. We should never forget.
Our weather looks beautiful today. We warm up a bit Sunday through Tuesday, then we fall back to much milder temps where it looks like we'll be staying. Here's hoping this last upcoming warm snap is summer's final showcase, and we move on along to autumn. I'm finally ready. Love to you on this weekend, can't believe it has rolled around yet again. Make the most of it!
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